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Stop Words in SEO Explained + Stop Word List
SEO stop words are the common words we use to connect sentences and establish ties between words and concepts.
Today, I’m going to dig into the topic of SEO stop words to see why they matter, how you should use them in your content strategy, and give you a full stop words list.
What are stop words?
Stop words are common words in a language, such as “a,” “the,” “is,” and “of,” that are frequently used but carry little meaning on their own. In Natural Language Processing (NLP) and text analysis, stop words are often removed to focus on the more meaningful words in a text. By eliminating stop words, algorithms can better analyze the important content without being distracted by these commonly used terms.
What are SEO stop words?
SEO stop words (Google stop words, stopwords) are generic common words (and, or, besides, in, a, the, do, they, etc.) that Google may omit in search query processing because they don’t usually affect the meaning of the query. These words are actually used for grammatical purposes and don’t communicate a message on their own.
For example, if you google something like “best carrot cake recipe” and “the best carrot cake recipe”, the SERP will anyway feature links to pages with carrot cake recipes. In this case, the does not add any meaning to the query.
Does Google ignore SEO stop words?
The truth is that Google does not ignore stop words contrary to popular opinion. SEO stop words affect the way how Google interprets the search query.
Sometimes, this difference is minimal. Back to our carrot cake example, let’s compare the two SERPs:
- best carrot cake recipe:
- the best carrot cake recipe:
As you can see, “the best carrot cake recipe” triggers more the-titled pages in the Recipes section, plus the second organic position site has also changed. So, although the search concept remains the same, the results have slightly changed.
Still, there are cases when stop words change SERPs completely. Let’s google “help”:
We have a couple of dictionary articles, a Beatles song, and a Wikipedia page that suggests several ideas of what I may be looking for.
But if I google “the help”, there’s a 95% chance I’ll see a historical drama movie in results:
The other 5% could probably mean a book of the same name:
As you can see, Google not only processes stop words but actually alters SERPs depending on what stop words are present in the query.
Why are stop words important for SEO?
SEO stop words indicate the search intent and help search engines give users more relevant results. Actually, they are now not much different from keywords.
Still, the idea of Google ignoring stop words used to be a reality even a couple of years ago when Google wasn’t clever enough to recognize the intent behind queries. But today, search algorithms are very sophisticated. They use machine learning and AI to guess every meaning behind queries, so it’s logical that they do take SEO stop words into account.
How to use SEO stop words in your content strategy?
The answer is just to use stop words correctly. Both from the point of view of grammar and common sense. You don’t skip them when writing something, so why do this in your content?
But we’re talking about SEO, so there will always be some nuances. Let’s look at them closer.
SEO stop words in URLs
All best practices for URL creation state that URLs should be short and user-friendly. However, this can lead to the wrong assumption that all the stop words should be removed from the URL. But this is not really so. The truth is that you can remove any words and actually shapeshift your URL any way you like to make it readable and user-friendly.
Here’s an example. On our blog, we have a post titled like this:
SEO Over-Optimization: 10 Signs You're Going Too Far
Of course, keeping the whole title as a URL would not be a good option, as it’s pretty long and contains a colon (:). But removing all the stop words — over, you’re, going, too, far — would have ended up in a mess:
seo-optimization-10-signs
So, we turned on common sense and made a short and meaningful URL slug, keeping the stop word over and even adding another stop word — the preposition of.
As a result, the URL slug for our post turned out to be this:
10-signs-of-over-optimization
SEO stop words in titles and descriptions
Do not remove stop words from titles and descriptions. They cater to meaning, grammar, and readability — as you know, readability is one of the factors that can benefit CTR. As the recently leaked Google documents state, CTR could be a potential ranking factor, so you should do your best to increase it.
Besides, titles and descriptions without stop words (which are auxiliary words of a language actually) most often look spammy and keyword-stuffed. And keyword stuffing is a direct way to lower rankings or even spam penalties if abused too much.
Keep your titles and descriptions clear, meaningful, and written for humans, and this is impossible to reach without SEO stop words at all.
SEO stop words in the main content
Don’t remove SEO stop words from your content, and that’s it. It’s just the same as you’d try to remove all the prepositions, conjunctions, modal verbs, and pronouns — your text would be nonsense. What’s more, removing stop words is a proven way to fall for keyword stuffing, which is hardly beneficial for rankings.
One more point here is that a stop word can be an inseparable part of your target keyword — in this case, removing it will lead to targeting the wrong search term.
Example.
This is a SERP for bear:
And this is what happens if you add an article and search for the bear:
The first SERP is about an animal, and the second one is about a TV series.
SEO stop words in alt texts
Keep SEO stop words in your alt texts. Google AI algorithms use alt texts to recognize the content of the visual aids. So, the more precise yet detailed your alt texts are, the better Google will understand what’s on the image. This will help you get additional clicks from the image search.
Even if image SEO is not the focus of your search optimization strategy, do not omit SEO stop words from alt texts. In many cases, they can change the meaning drastically.
Just a simple example. This is a cat on the table:
This ginger cookie is the property of our team lead :)
This is a cat under the table:
Both images feature a cat and a table, but they are actually different :)
SEO stop words and user experience
SEO stop words cater to meaning and readability, which is why they are super important for user experience.
If you omit stop words, your content will hardly be readable at all. If you skip stop words in titles and descriptions, these elements will not be readable, either. Neither by users nor by search engines. If you don’t use SEO stop words on your checkout pages or pages with legal information, you may even face law problems in addition to poor UX.
Always remember that you’re writing for people, and people will not be happy to see meaningless sets of keywords instead of well-written content. And, as Google of today prioritizes user-centric content with good UX, having meaningful texts will surely add to your rankings.
List of SEO stop words
Below, you will find a comprehensive list of words that are classified as SEO stop words for search engines. All arranged alphabetically.
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A able about above abroad according accordingly across actually adj after afterwards again against ago ahead ain't all allow allows almost alone along alongside already also although always am amid amidst among amongst an and another any anybody anyhow anyone anything anyway anyways anywhere apart appear appreciate appropriate are aren't around as a's aside ask asking associated at available away awfully B back backward backwards be became because become becomes becoming been before beforehand begin behind being believe below beside besides best better between beyond both brief but by C came can cannot cant can't caption cause causes certain certainly changes clearly c'mon co co. com come comes concerning consequently consider considering contain containing contains corresponding could couldn't course c's currently D dare daren't definitely described despite did didn't different directly do does doesn't doing done don't down downwards during E each edu eg eight eighty either else elsewhere end ending enough entirely especially et etc even ever evermore every everybody everyone everything everywhere ex exactly example except F fairly far farther few fewer fifth first five followed following follows for forever former formerly forth forward found four from further furthermore G get gets getting given gives go goes going gone got gotten greetings H had hadn't half happens hardly has hasn't have haven't having he he'd he'll hello help |
hence her here hereafter hereby herein here's hereupon hers herself he's hi him himself his hither hopefully how howbeit however hundred I i'd ie if ignored i'll i'm immediate in inasmuch inc inc. indeed indicate indicated indicates inner inside insofar instead into inward is isn't it it'd it'll its it's itself i've J just k keep keeps kept know known knows L last lately later latter latterly least less lest let let's like liked likely likewise little look looking looks low lower ltd M made mainly make makes many may maybe mayn't me mean meantime meanwhile merely might mightn't mine minus miss more moreover most mostly mr mrs much must mustn't my myself N name namely nd near nearly necessary need needn't needs neither never never neverless nevertheless new next nine ninety no nobody non none nonetheless no one no-one nor normally not nothing notwithstanding novel now nowhere O obviously of off often oh ok okay old on once one ones one's only onto opposite or other others otherwise ought oughtn't our ours ourselves out outside over overall own P particular particularly past per perhaps placed please plus possible presumably probably provided provides Q que quite qv R rather rd re really reasonably recent recently regarding regardless regards relatively respectively right round S said same saw say saying says second secondly |
see seeing seem seemed seeming seems seen self selves sensible sent serious seriously seven several shall shan't she she'd she'll she's should shouldn't since six so some somebody someday somehow someone something sometime sometimes somewhat somewhere soon sorry specified specify specifying still sub such sup sure T take taken taking tell tends th than thank thanks thanx that that'll thats that's that've the their theirs them themselves then thence there thereafter thereby there'd therefore therein there'll there're theres there's thereupon there've these they they'd they'll they're they've thing things think third thirty this thorough thoroughly those though three through throughout thru thus till to together too took toward towards tried tries truly try trying t's twice two U un under underneath undoing unfortunately unless unlike unlikely until unto up upon upwards us use used useful uses using usually V value various versus very via viz vs W want wants was wasn't way we we'd welcome well we'll went were we're weren't we've what whatever what'll what's what've when whence whenever where whereafter whereas whereby wherein where's whereupon wherever whether which whichever while whilst whither who who'd whoever whole who'll whom whomever who's whose why will willing wish with within without wonder won't would wouldn't Y yes yet you you'd you'll your you're yours yourself yourselves you've Z zero
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Summing it up
As you can see, SEO stop words are not stop anymore, as they help Google read search intent and are often an inseparable part of keywords. So, use stop words wisely and logically, and never omit them from your content.
By the way, how often do you face examples when stop words completely change the meaning of the search query? Share your cases in our Facebook community.
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